Black Caps and Red Feathers

Play 1: Dramatis Personae

3 Dramatis Personae Lunatic Creature Voice 4 The first performance of Black Caps and Red Feathers was given on the 1st of July, 1995 in the Catholic Mission Hall Kumba Town by the Royal Spear Theatre Club. It was directed by the author and the cast was as follows: Creature: Benson Bechemanyor Lunatic: Denis Ajebesone, who also presented Voice 5 Echoes of thunder and other noises are heard for a few moments. Silence. LUNATIC enters, rubbing his eyes. He looks haggard, unkempt and scared, striding cautiously to the nearest side of the stage; head bowed, stops and looks up then speaks.) LUNATIC: I had no sleep tonight. Even now my heart is crammed with monstrosity, with the voices of death and life. I had thought to myself that I shall tell the story in tears when one morning I shall wake from sleep to find that I am dead, believing that we men who wear our cloaks the right sides are sane and civilised men. But the wailing voices of future generations filled my mind and peals of thunder rumbled in my heart, and I felt Fuandem’s wrath in his stormy voice that spoke: “You Messenger of Truth! You are the divine bat that sees all in a dream! I sent you to the world to prophesy, to fill the lives of men with Truth; now you lie there musing, feeding on your own thoughts like the hen that ate its own eggs. How can you, knowing all that is true, disdain till after you were dead? Glory is he who perceives and speaks it plain; or he becomes the snake that refused fewer legs because it claimed it was bigger than the millipede and died having none.” That is why I came to you, clansmen, soon as I saw the first crack of dawn, 6 to make you see the truth about our fates Here at life’s farthest end (Pointing towards the stage) is death in life, a Creature of its own kind, desolate on the garbage heap, pushed asunder by the aberration of logical men. Here in the world’s rejected end is the destined Afaningkong the unbending Apostle of Truth swaddled in the strong stench of the cadavers of civilisation, colonies of flies buzzing about him.... I do not intend to wake him from his dream... (Pause.) I hear him groan already.... Listen to his testimony, the testimony of Afaningkong the unflinching Apostle of Truth. I must leave the place: he would not see me here meditating on his plight. ( Lunatic exits pensively.) ...